“Forgiveness” is one of the most loaded words in personal growth. It’s preached as a moral duty, sold as a shortcut to peace, and weaponized as a test of your character. It often comes wrapped in a quiet threat: forgive, or you’re the problem.
And that framing, especially in religious settings, can turn forgiveness into something coercive, confusing, and unsafe.
For me this topic is real, deep, and emotionally intense. Just yesterday I thought about a situation where I regretted allowing two...